RB Nick Chubb might’ve taken his last snap for the Cleveland Browns. Suffering a devastating knee injury against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week Two, he’s was recently floated as a potential offseason cut. In an ESPN Insider article published last week, Dan Graziano mentioned Chubb as a possible cap casualty.
“He’s 28, coming off a major season-ending knee injury and scheduled to earn $12 million in non-guaranteed money in the final year of his contract. Yes, he’s an extension candidate, but he’s also a potential cap casualty. Either way, Chubb could be the latest bellwether of the frustrating running back market.”
Chubb suffered the injury against the Steelers in a primetime matchup, hit low but legally by FS Minkah Fitzpatrick. He suffered multiple injuries to his knee, including a torn ACL. He soon underwent surgery and had a second one in mid-November.
Throughout the process, Chubb and the Browns have maintained optimism there would be a full recovery to play in 2024. Now, it’s a question if Cleveland will keep him. At 28 with plenty of mileage, over 1,200 carries, the Browns could save nearly $12 million in cap space before roster displacement if they release him.
One of the NFL’s best runners for years, it’s unclear how effective Chubb will be even if he returns. In college at Georgia, he suffered a significant knee injury and to his credit, made a full recovery. But doing it again older and with over 1,000 more carries will be a tall task.
Without Chubb, Cleveland’s running game struggled. While they maintained a run-heavy approach, in part due to starting four quarterbacks, they finished just 26th in yards per carry. Jerome Ford handled the bulk of the load without him but only mustered a 4.0 YPC and was held under 3.0 YPC in five of the 11 games in which he received double-digit carries. His run success rate was also an ugly 39.7 percent, 50th out of 53 players with at least 100 carries.
The team brought back Kareem Hunt but primarily used him in short-yardage, racking up nine rushing scores on 135 carries. Pierre Strong, acquired via New England prior to Chubb’s injury, provided a spark but saw only 63 carries all season.
Given the fungibility of the position, the Browns could dump Chubb and look for a fresher-legged option. This year’s draft class isn’t particularly strong at the position but so long as the team has a strong offensive line, they’ll likely have success with an alternative.
